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Words of Wisdom: Daily Affirmations of Faith
by Rev RunFocus, Focus, Focus! You will only have significant success with something that is an obsession. Success comes from having passion and having fun creating your objective!Words of Wisdom is a collection of inspirational aphorisms, which Rev Run sends out to his closest friends each day and which were made suddenly popular when his television show zoomed to the top of the MTV charts. Rev Run (an ordained minister) closes each episode of Run's House by reading philosophical, Christian, and inspirational books in the bathtub before penning words that inspire, encourage, and motivate. Here, available for the first time to the public, are Run's Words of Wisdom published in a gifty yet affordable format just in time for the show's second season. All great blessings come from being at peace. When the day is over, go to sleep. Never sit up worrying about tomorrow. Work hard and let God do the rest. I always say these words at night: "I can sleep tonight because God is awake!" Relax. Rest easy.
The Works of John Leguizamo: Freak, Spic-o-rama, Mambo Mouth, and Sexaholix
by John LeguizamoThis volume collects all four of the writer-performer’s legendary, award–winning solo shows.John Leguizamo rose to stardom with a series of critically acclaimed solo shows in which he embodied a diverse cast of unforgettable characters. Now all four of these classic theatrical works—Freak, Spic-o-Rama, Mambo Mouth, and Sexaholix—are available in this one essential volume.Mambo Mouth Leguizamo’s first show was an Off-Broadway sensation. In it, he portrayed seven different Latino characters in a bravura performance that earned him both Obie and Outer Critics Circle awards. Spic–O–Rama A “dysfunctional family comedy,” presents 24–hours in the life of one family. It enjoyed a sold–out run in Chicago before relocating to New York where it won its creator a Drama Desk Award. Freak Leguizamo’s Broadway debut tells his own coming–of–age story. A “demi–semi–quasi–pseudo–autobiography,” which went on to become an Emmy special on HBO. Sexaholix: A Love Story Leguizamo’s “raunchy-yet-sweet comic solo performance”—a hit on both Broadway and HBO—explores his own coming of age as he transforms into a father and family man (Washington Post).
How I Broke into Hollywood: Success Stories from the Trenches
by Pablo F. Fenjves Rocky LangHollywood's survivors share their secrets to success -- where, they came from, how they made it, and how you can tooIn a heyday of reality television and overnight stardom, it's easy to forget that most players had to work hard to make it big. How I Broke into Hollywood brings together dozens of Tinseltown's greatest success stories, from legends Sydney Pollack and Lalo Schifrin to rising starlet Erika Christensen to über-producer Gavin Polone. Icons of their industry -- writers, actors, directors, designers, cinematographers, executives and more -- they were once outsiders themselves, and their beginnings have all the grit and glamour of the best Hollywood films. Among the figures profiled:Comedian Bernie Mac, whose earliest stand-up shows were on subway cars and at funeral parties.Actor Charles Dutton, who was convicted of manslaughter at age seventeen, then went on to the Yale School of Drama and a brilliant career on stage, screen, and television.Actor Peter Gallagher, who suffered a crippling bout of stage fright moments before leaping onstage as Snoopy -- but whose jitters moved him to a performance that brought the audience to its feet and launched his career.Superagent Jay Kanter, who started out as a mailroom guy -- before nabbing Marlon Brando as his first star client.Producer Caryn Mandabach, whose first job was making beer runs for the production guys at the Olympic Auditorium -- but who paid attention and soon was developing such hits as The Cosby Show, Roseanne, and That '70s Show.Director John Landis, who hunted down his first job as a production assistant by buying a one-way ticket to London, then hitchhiking and hopping trains all the way to the set . . . in Yugoslavia.How I Broke into Hollywood shares the voices of nearly fifty Hollywood survivors as they revisit the highs and lows of their careers in their own words, dishing dirt and imparting the wisdom they gained along the way. We learn what drew them to the industry and what made them stay, what inspired and appalled them, and what secrets propelled them to professional stardom. (Hint: a good attitude -- and an unflappable ego -- don't hurt.)The road to success is a bumpy, angst-ridden, star-studded thrill ride -- but for these insiders, at least, it was worth every pitfall and lesson learned. Often hilarious, always instructive, How I Broke into Hollywood is an irresistible read for anyone fascinated by those who've made it big . . . and for people everywhere hoping to make it big themselves.
Sweet Little Lies (L.A. Candy #2)
by Lauren ConradJane Roberts was the average girl next door until she and her best friend, Scarlett Harp, landed their own hit reality show, L. A. Candy. But life on camera is getting complicated. . . . When racy photos of Jane are leaked to the press, she becomes the center of a tabloid scandal. She turns to costar Madison Parker for help, but does Madison really have Jane's back? Scarlett's got a scandal of her own. She's fallen for a guy who's strictly off-limits-which means Scarlett has a big secret to keep. But nothing stays secret for long in Hollywood. In television star Lauren Conrad's dishy, entertaining novel about young Hollywood, the lies are only as sweet as the people telling them.
Sugar and Spice (L.A. Candy #3)
by Lauren ConradSugar and Spice ... Not everyone's nice. Fresh from being betrayed by one of her closest friends, new reality-television celebrity Jane Roberts has learned a few lessons. Most important: know who to trust. And in Hollywood, that list is short. Although the press is intent on creating a tabloid war between her and ex-friend/current-costar Madison Parker, Jane just wants to take control of her life. She's started by swearing off guys and the drama that comes with them. But when her high school sweetheart Caleb and her unrequited L. A. crush Braden show up, both acting sweeter than ever, Jane has a hard time remembering her no-boys rule. . . . Her best friend, Scarlett, has only one guy on her mind: her new boyfriend, Liam. The girl who once thought love was a four-letter word is now head over heels. The problem is, being on a hit reality show means hanging out with other guys on-camera, and Liam isn't too happy with pretending to play a bit part in her love life. Just when everything feels out of control, Jane makes a shocking discovery--one that changes everyone's definition of "reality" forever. In her deliciously entertaining novel, television star Lauren Conrad pulls back the curtain on young Hollywood and shows that sometimes the real drama is behind the scenes.
Dance with a Vampire (Vampire Kisses #4)
by Ellen SchreiberRaven tries to shield her younger brother from the menacing Valentine Maxwell, even as she yearns to attend the prom with her immortal love, Alexander.
Roasting in Hell's Kitchen: Temper Tantrums, F Words, and the Pursuit of Perfection
by Gordon RamsayEveryone thinks they know the real Gordon Ramsay: rude, loud, pathologically driven, stubborn as hellFor the first time, Ramsay tells the full inside story of his life and how he became the world's most famous and infamous chef: his difficult childhood, his brother's heroin addiction, his failed first career as a soccer player, his fanatical pursuit of gastronomic perfection and his TV persona—all of the things that made him the celebrated culinary talent and media powerhouse that he is today. In Roasting in Hell's Kitchen Ramsay talks frankly about his tough and emotional childhood, including his father's alcoholism and violence and their effect on his relationships with his mother and siblings. His rootless upbringing saw him moving from house to house and town to town followed by the authorities and debtors as his father lurched from one failed job to another. He recounts his short-circuited career as a soccer player, when he was signed by Scotland's premier club at the age of fifteen but then, just two years later, dropped out when injury dashed his hopes. Ramsay searched for another vocation and, much to his father's disgust, went into catering, which his father felt was meant for “poofs.”He trained under some of the most famous and talented chefs in Europe, working to exacting standards and under extreme conditions that would sometimes erupt in physical violence. But he thrived, with his exquisite palate, incredible vision and relentless work ethic. Dish by dish, restaurant by restaurant, he gradually built a Michelin-starred empire.A candid, eye-opening look into the extraordinary life and mind of an elite and unique restaurateur and chef, Roasting in Hell's Kitchen will change your perception not only of Gordon Ramsay but of the world of cuisine.
Badasses: The Legend of Snake, Foo, Dr. Death, and John Madden's Oakland Raiders
by Peter RichmondCould a very good football team be more than just a very good football team? Could it be something more? Could it be legendary--not just Hall of Fame legendary but legendary as in the tales of ancient warriors, half-real and half-mythical, who mattered because they inspired people who needed to believe in figures mightier than their mundane selves? Could a football team seize the modern imagination because the days of true legend have long passed? Because we no longer have myths in sport or in life? Because long gone are the days when, as Ken Stabler put it to me, "you played for the name on the front of the jersey, not the name on the back"?
A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare, 1599
by James Shapiro1599 was an epochal year for Shakespeare and England. Shakespeare wrote four of his most famous plays: Henry the Fifth, Julius Caesar, As You Like It, and, most remarkably, Hamlet; Elizabethans sent off an army to crush an Irish rebellion, weathered an Armada threat from Spain, gambled on a fledgling East India Company, and waited to see who would succeed their aging and childless queen. James Shapiro illuminates both Shakespeare's staggering achievement and what Elizabethans experienced in the course of 1599, bringing together the news and the intrigue of the times with a wonderful evocation of how Shakespeare worked as an actor, businessman, and playwright. The result is an exceptionally immediate and gripping account of an inspiring moment in history.
Ron Jeremy: The Hardest (Working) Man in Showbiz
by Ron JeremyHe's the porn world's Everyman. Blessed with an enormous "talent" yet average looks, he's starred in more than 1,700 adult films, directed 250 of them, and over the last twenty years has become porn's biggest ambassador to the mainstream. He's appeared in 60 regular films, 14 music videos, and VH1's Surreal Life, starred in the critically acclaimed Porn star (a movie about his life), and in Being Ron Jeremy (a take off on Being John Malkovich), co-starring Andy Dick. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. . . . Ron Jeremy is a born storyteller (funny, considering he doesn't do a lot of talking in his films). He knows where all the bodies are buried, and in this outrageous autobiography he not only shows you the grave but also gives you the back story on the tombstone. Get ready for Ron Jeremy—a scandalously entertaining deep insider's view of the porn industry and its emergence into popular culture, and a delectable self-portrait of the amazingly endowed Everyman every man wanted to be.
Screen Plays: How 25 Scripts Made It to a Theater Near You--for Better or Worse
by David S. CohenIn this fascinating survey of contemporary screen craft, David Cohen of Script and Variety magazines leads readers down the long and harrowing road every screenplay takes from idea to script to screen. In interviews with Hollywood screenwriters from across the board-Oscar winners and novices alike-Cohen explores what sets apart the blockbuster successes from the downright disasters. Tracing the fortunes of twenty-five films, including Troy, Erin Brockovich, Lost in Translation, and The Aviator, Cohen offers insider access to back lots and boardrooms, to studio heads, directors, and to the over-caffeinated screenwriters themselves. As the story of each film evolves from the drawing board to the big screen, Cohen proves that how a script is written, sold, developed, and filmed can be just as dramatic and intriguing as the movie itself-especially when the resulting movie is a fiasco. Covering films of all kinds-from tongue-in-cheek romps like John Waters's A Dirty Shame to Oscar winners like Monster's Ball and The Hours-Screen Plays is an anecdote-filled, often inspiring, always revealing look at the alchemy of the movie business. With Cohen as your expert guide, Screen Plays exposes how and why certain films (such as Gladiator) become "tent poles," those runaway successes every studio needs to survive, and others become train wrecks. Full of critical clues on how to sell a script-and avoid seeing it destroyed before the director calls Action!-it's the one book every aspiring screenwriter will find irresistible.
The Women Who Raised Me: A Memoir
by Victoria RowellBorn as a ward of the state of Maine, the child of an unmarried Yankee blueblood mother and an unknown black father, Victoria Rowell beat the odds. The Women Who Raised Me is the remarkable story of her rise out of the foster care system to attain the American Dream—and of the unlikely series of women who lifted, motivated, and inspired her along the way.From Agatha Armstead—a black Bostonian who was Victoria's longest-term foster mother and first noticed her spark of creativity and talent—to Esther Brooks, a Paris-trained prima ballerina who would become her first mentor at the Cambridge School of Ballet—The Women Who Raised Me is a loving, vivid portrait of all the women who would help Victoria transition out of foster care and into New York City's wild worlds of ballet, acting, and adulthood. Though Victoria would go on to become an accomplished television and film star, she still carried the burden of loneliness and anxiety, particularly common to those "orphans of the living" who are never adopted. Vividly recalled and candidly told, her story is transfixing, redemptive, heartbreaking, and, ultimately, inspiring.
Jimi Hendrix: The Man, The Music, The Truth
by Sharon LawrenceThe genius we never understood. . . . The man we never knew. . . . The truth we never heard. . . . The music we never forgot. . . . A revealing portrait of a legend by a close and trusted friend.
Charmed Lives: A Family Romance
by Michael KordaA Rolls Royce Silver Cloud drove him to airports; the British film industry kowtowed to his power; the great Hollywood studios fawned at his feet. Sir Alexander Korda, one of the world's most flamboyant movie tycoons, rose from obscurity in rural Hungary to become a legendary filmmaker. With him were his brothers, Zoltan and Vincent, all living charmed lives in circles that included H. G. Wells, Sir Lawrence Olivier, Marlena Dietrich, Vivien Leigh, and Merle Oberon, who was soon to be Alex's wife. But along with Alex's flair for success was an equally powerful impulse for destruction. Now, Vincent's son, Michael Korda, in the first book of his memoirs, recalls the enchanted figures of his childhood...the glory days of the Korda brothers' great films...and then their heartbreaking, tragic end.
Truck: A Love Story
by Michael PerryA part-time emergency medical technician humorously chronicles life in a small Wisconsin town, featuring tales of romance and auto repair.Hilarious and heartfelt, Truck: A Love Story is the tale of a man struggling to grow his own garden, fix his old pickup, and resurrect a love life permanently impaired by Neil Diamond. In the process, he sets his hair on fire, is attacked by wild turkeys, and proposes marriage to a woman in New Orleans. The result is a surprisingly tender testament to love.Praise for Truck“A touching and very funny account. . . . Thoroughly engaging.” —New York Times“Part Bill Bryson, part Anne Lamott, with a skim of Larry the Cable Guy and Walt Whitman creeping around the edges.” —Lincoln Journal Star“Perry takes each moment, peeling it, seasoning it with rich language, and then serving it to us piping hot and fresh.” —Chicago Tribune“A reminder, by a talent of the hinterlands, to celebrate small-town life and to treasure human relationships.” —Kirkus Reviews
Just Being Audrey
by Margaret CardilloThis book for younger readers pays a stunning tribute to one of America's most beloved icons--Audrey Hepburn.
Femme Fatale: Love, Lies, and the Unknown Life of Mata Hari
by Pat Shipman“An engrossing biography” of the Dutch exotic dancer accused of being a spy for the Germans during World War I.In 1917, the notorious Oriental dancer Mata Hari was arrested on the charge of espionage; less than one year later, she was tried and executed, charged with the deaths of at least 50,000 gallant French soldiers. The mistress of many senior Allied officers and government officials, even the French minister of war, she had a sharp intellect and a golden tongue fluent in several languages; she also traveled widely throughout war-torn Europe, with seeming disregard for the political and strategic alliances and borders. But was she actually a spy? In this persuasive new biography, Pat Shipman explores the life and times of the mythic and deeply misunderstood dark-eyed siren to find the truth.Praise for Femme Fatale“Her life’s story is a humdinger.” —Washington Post Book World“Pat Shipman reasons (and writes) like a born counterintelligence officer. Her gripping and well-developed account of the famed spy . . . will fascinate you right down to her grim imprisonment and hast execution in a desolate field outside Paris, her last performance faced, as were all of her life’s twists and turns, with bravery and grace.” —Peter Earnest, Executive Director, International Spy Museum, Washington, D.C., and former CIA Operations Officer
It's Not Necessarily Not the Truth: Dreaming Bigger Than the Town You're From
by Jaime PresslyAmerica knows Jaime Pressly as Joy Turner, the feisty cheatin' ex-wife of Earl Hickey on the NBC hit show My Name Is Earl. Like her character, the Emmy Award-winning actress is, at heart, a smart, vibrant, small-town Southern girl. In this humorous and honest book, she recalls her journey from Kinston, North Carolina, to Hollywood, California, to motherhood, and the fortitude it took to make her dreams come true, including separating from her troubled past, overcoming her own bad choices, and dealing with success when it finally came her way.Pressly speaks openly of her extremely colorful family and of her growing understanding of how their lives have been shaped by larger forces, including prejudice, power, privilege, love, loss, and longing. She shares how the lessons she learned from their lives impacted her own journey and helped her succeed where so many others have failed. Inspiring, heart-wrenching, and laugh-out-loud funny, It's Not Necessarily Not the Truth offers a slice of American life sure to touch the hearts of readers everywhere.
Mozart: A Life
by Maynard SolomonOn the occasion of Mozart's two hundred and fiftieth birthday, read Maynard Solomon's Mozart: A Life, universally hailed as the Mozart biography of our time.
The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee
by Sarah SilvermanFrom the outrageously filthy and oddly innocent comedienne comes a memoir that is at once shockingly personal, surprisingly poignant, and still laugh-out-loud funny. With her signature taboo-breaking humor, Silverman writes on everything from her epic struggle with hairy arms (there's not enough wax in the world) to the death of her infant brother.
Under the Big Top
by Bruce FeilerBoth a great American adventure and a rare entry into asheltered world, Under the Big Top describes one man's pursuit of every child's fantasy: running away to join the circus. Bruce Feiler's unforgettable year as a clown will forever change your view of one of the world's oldest art forms and remind you of how dreams can go horribly wrong -- and then miraculously come true.
Symptoms of Withdrawal: A Memoir of Snapshots and Redemption
by Christopher Kennedy LawfordAt last, the first memoir from a Kennedy family member—an inspirational, candid, and explosive personal story sure to be one of the most sensational bestsellers of the yearChristopher Kennedy Lawson was born to enormous privilege. But with fame, money, and power came tragedy and heartbreak. In this clear-eyed, sensitive, and compulsively readable autobiography, he breaks his family’s long-held silence to a rare glimpse into the exclusive worlds of both Washington politicos and the Hollywood elite during the socially turbulent 1960s and 1970s. As the first born child of famed Rat Pack actor, Peter Lawford, and John F. Kennedy’s sister, Patricia, Christopher Lawford was raised in Malibu and Martha’s Vineyard with movie stars and presidents as close family members and friends. But this little boy who learned the twist thanks to private lessons from Marilyn Monroe would grow up to become a spoiled adolescent with a near-fatal jones for heroin and alcohol. With deep sincerity, Kennedy sets the record straight, sharing many never-before-told stories about the good, the bad, and the ugly in his life, including the deaths of his uncles, his parents’ divorce and its effect, his hard-fought struggle to overcome addiction, his long-lasting sobriety, his acting career, and his relationships with his famous cousins and his own children. Surprisingly frank, Kennedy pulls no punches as he tells us what it’s really like to be a member of America’s first family.
Barbra: The Way She Is
by Christopher AndersenThe #1 New York Times bestselling biographer presents “a scandalicious new bio packed with fresh dirt on the world’s most reclusive diva” (New York Post).She is a one-name legend, a global icon. Yet most of what we know about Barbra Joan Streisand is the stuff of caricature: the Brooklyn girl turned Grammy–winning singer and Oscar–winning actress; a skinflint and a philanthropist; a connoisseur and a barbarian. Even to her legions of fans, the real Streisand has always remained tantalizingly unknowable. Until now. In Barbra, acclaimed biographer Christopher Andersen taps into important, eyewitness sources to paint a startling portrait of the artist . . . and the woman. The many revelations include:Surprising new details about her wedding and marriage to James Brolin.New information about her many failed love affairs, including her never-before-revealed relationships with Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s doomed lover Dodi Fayed—as well as Warren Beatty, Ryan O’Neal, former Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau, Steve McQueen, Richard Gere, Kris Kristofferson, Don Johnson, Jon Voight, Andre Agassi, Peter Jennings, and more . . .An inside account of what happened between Streisand and Bill Clinton in the White House, their relationship today, and how Hillary feels about Barbra.Revealing behind the scenes details from her classic movies and historic recording sessionsNew insights into Barbra’s relationship with her only child, Jason.
Tallulah!: The Life and Times of a Leading Lady
by Joel LobenthalOutrageous, outspoken, and uninhibited, Tallulah Bankhead was an actress known as much for her vices -- cocaine, alcohol, hysterical tirades, and scandalous affairs with both men and women -- as she was for her winning performances on stage. In 1917, a fifteen-year-old Bankhead boldly left her established Alabama political family and fled to New York City to sate her relentless need for attention and become a star. Five years later, she crossed the Atlantic, immediately taking her place as a fixture in British society and the most popular actress in London's West End. By the time she returned to America in the 1930s, she was infamous for throwing marathon parties, bedding her favorite costars, and neglecting to keep her escapades a secret from the press. At times, her notoriety distracted her audience from her formidable talent and achievements on stage and dampened the critical re-sponse to her work. As Bankhead herself put it, "they like me to 'Tallulah,' you know -- dance and sing and romp and fluff my hair and play reckless parts." Still, her reputation as a wild, witty, over-the-top leading lady persisted until the end of her life at the age of sixty-six.From her friendships with such entertainment luminaries as Tennessee Williams, Estelle Winwood, Billie Holiday, Noël Coward, and Marlene Dietrich, to the intimate details of her family relationships and her string of doomed romances, Joel Lobenthal has captured the private essence of the most public star during theater's golden age. Larger-than-life as she was, friends saw through Bankhead's veneer of humor and high times to the heart of a woman who often felt second-best in her father's eyes, who longed for the children she was unableto bear, and who forced herself into the spotlight to hide her deep-seated insecurities.Drawn from scores of exclusive interviews, as well as previously untapped information from Scotland Yard and the FBI, this is the essential biography of Tallulah Bankhead. Having spent twenty-five years researching Bankhead's life, Joel Lobenthal tells her unadulterated story, as told to him by her closest friends, enemies, lovers, and employees. Several have broken decadelong silences; many have given Lobenthal their final interviews. The result is the story of a woman more complex, more shocking, and yet more nuanced than her notorious legend suggests.
I'm Hosting as Fast as I Can!: Zen and the Art of Staying Sane in Hollywood
by Tom BergeronIn this memoir, the charming TV host shares funny yet poignant stories from his life and career, plus his secrets to staying calm on & off camera.Tom Bergeron, Emmy Award–winning former host of Dancing with the Stars and America’s Funniest Home Videos, has always been ambitious, driven, and charming. However, as a young man, he had an enemy that posed a serious threat to what otherwise would have been guaranteed success—a bad temper. His family and friends didn’t keep their concerns to themselves, but Tom’s petulance remained a problem until his first date with a woman who threatened to end their relationship when, in a fit of anger, he put a dent in his car door. “If you want us to go any further, you’d better do something about that,” Lois said, unabashed and unafraid. Tom, embarrassed, then and there committed himself to controlling that temper. (That woman later became his wife, by the way.)This humorous memoir will be filled with anecdotes of how Tom, who never breaks character, stutters or so much as breaks a sweat (even when an Osmond faints at his feet on live TV), uses meditation and other regimented, relaxation techniques to stay focused, energetic, and happy on and off the camera.Praise for I’m Hosting as Fast as I Can!“The charm and wit that have made Tom Bergeron one of television’s most popular hosts is reflected beautifully in I’m Hosting as Fast as I Can! Readers will love Tom’s book.” —Bob Barker“You are a good man, Charlie Brown! Also an honest man, an entertaining man, a life-instructing man, and one hell of an autobiographer. Congratulations, Tom!” —Carl Reiner